Vanilla Overnight Oats

So I just discovered something amazing with this vanilla overnight oats recipe. Amazing in that I can prep this ahead of time and have something nutritious and delicious ready to go in the morning without even thinking about it.

These overnight oats are making my mornings fantastic.

Now most people reading this I can guarantee have probably heard of overnight oats before. It goes like this. Throw some old fashioned rolled oats in a jar with some yoghurt and milk and a few other yummy things, leave it in the fridge overnight and in the morning you have a creamy breakfast ready to go.

It’s simple, but so so good.

Now even though I have been hearing how amazing overnight oats are for aaaages I was super hesitant to try them for myself. You see I am not really a cereal for breakfast kind of person. I generally always crave savory over sweet and my ideal breakfast is all about toast and eggs. So you can probably understand why I wasn’t going out of my way to make what sounded like a pretty gross way to make porridge.

Wanting a little more control of my diet and ensuring I am giving it the fuel it needs I decided a changeup of my breakfasts was in order. After seeing some meal prep Instagram posts that were heavily dominated by overnight oats, I decided with nothing to lose I would finally give them a go.

I don’t really know what I expected to be honest. I think I thought they would be slimy or something. But turns out they are just really creamy, full of good texture, not overly sweet at all and damn satisfying. This for breakfast seems to get me through to lunch without too much of a worry which is exactly what I want from breakfast.

This has been my breakfast everyday for the last 2 weeks and I am not sick of it yet. I love to top my oats with half a banana sliced up and a small handful of blueberries. I’ve been using fresh but they are going out of season so will have to see how frozen berries substitute. I also throw the oats in the microwave for 30 seconds before I eat it just so that it is not so cold as I find really cold food a bit unappetising, but that is a personal preference and most people just eat them straight from the fridge.

Now that I have realised how good these actually are, I am beginning to think about all the different flavour combo possibilities. It really seems endless with things like cinnamon, chocolate, peanut butter spinning around in my head as being great additions for when I get sick of plain old vanilla. But to be honest, there really is nothing plain about vanilla – I mean c’mon, it is a classic for a reason!

And if I haven’t sold you quite yet on trying this, I have one more thing to add. The flexibility of this recipe is pretty endless. Change the almond milk to any milk, regular or nut based on your diet/preference.

As for the yogurt, I have been using the Jalna Lactose Free yogurt because wow. Real yoghurt that doesn’t make me sick, it has been a gamechanger to my diet. Just as a sidebar, it is only available at Woolworths if you are looking for it. If you can’t have dairy at all, are vegan or just prefer it, coconut yogurt would be awesome instead or just use your favourite type (see the notes of the recipe).

The basis of these overnight oats is ensuring they are the old fashioned rolled oats, not the quick cooking ones and the ratio of oats to liquid. The chia seeds give it a little boost in the texture department, but other than that, everything else is flavour so you can change to suit your tastes/preferences.

These oats are still on current rotation for me, and they are a great option to have to prep ahead of time to ensure you have something nutritious to wake up to. If you are someone who doesn’t normally eat breakfast before leaving for work, the fact that you can just grab the jar straight from the fridge in the morning and take it with you I think makes these such a great option for when you are busy.

If you have never tried overnight oats, give these a try and you might just find your mornings changed for the better.

Do you make overnight oats? What is your favourite breakfast – savory or sweet? Let me know in the comments.

This easy vanilla overnight oats recipe will make your mornings amazing! Mix everything together the night before and leave in the fridge overnight for a healthy, creamy, YUM breakfast ready to go. Top with your favourite fruit.

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Australian

Servings: 1person

Author: Sally

What You'll Need

⅓cuprolled oats

⅔cupvanilla almond milk

⅓cupvanilla yoghurt

1tablespoonhoney

¼teaspoonvanilla

1tablespoonchia seeds

What To Do

Mix everything together in a small bowl until combined. Pour into a clean jar, secure lid and place in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, top with fruit. I like to use half a banana and a small handful of blueberries. Enjoy straight from the jar.

Notes

Dairy-Free Option: Use your favourite dairy-free yogurt sub such as coconut or soy.

Vegan Option: Use your favourite dairy-free yogurt sub such as coconut or soy and replace honey with maple syrup.

Note: Adjust sweetener (honey or maple syrup) to your tastes. If you prefer really sweet foods you may want to increase to 2 tablespoons.